This Continental division rally report was written by Ellen Pfeiffer and translated into English for WIMA News by Lida Abrahamova: Over the seas and under the water, the girls arrived from all directions with smiling faces, although the clouds hung low. After the last tent was put up and the last motorcycle was in the shelter, the sun appeared and blew away the clouds.
Our packed programme started on the next day with a Mini- Star-Ride, and the sun shining high in the sky. The second day was a day on the Nürburgring with three laps of the Grand Prix Circuit, each 22 km, making 66 km in all. The idea was to keep a constant time for the first lap. After each lap a card had to be time stamped. The average time was 16–23 minutes and was managed well by the participants. We were all very proud of our achievements, in spite of the fact that we were far from reaching the circuit record.
We had an excellent meal later in a nice restaurant in Drees. There was a treasure hunt in the afternoon. We rode across fields and through forests and had to answer some questions on our way. This competition was a big handicap for the three English girls (Jean, Janet and Shirley), because they didn’t speak German and we were lacking the correct English words. However, they were great at riding. In this specific discipline, the more attentive girls were more successful than the fast ones. Three girls received the full number of good points – Susie, Jo and Doris.
The weather was still wonderful on Saturday for the Orientation Ride. In the meantime, Agnès from France and Reni, who lives near Nürburgring, arrived. Reni has a baby, so she had to leave after a short visit. We were given a route card plus a map, and at one-minute intervals we set off to find our way. We had to pass through a certain number of signature checks. The whole course covered 100 km and had to be done within three hours. This brought five points for each of us, so the results were, before the last competition took place: Doris with 35 points leading, ahead of Jo with 34 and Traudl with 32 points.
In the afternoon, we built our gymkhana (slalom) course in a field near the Nürburgring, which had to be completed twice by each of us. This competition became indeed a triumph for Shirley who made the fastest time on a Triumph. It was a feast to the spectators’ eyes to watch the dexterity of the three English girls, Shirley, Jean and Janet, in handling their motorcycles. Margit Blum lost no points, and with a very favourable time in both courses she became the final winner, one point ahead of Agnès. The list of the results shouldn’t be considered as a real classification, for we are all very equal in riding. It’s only a term of reference for the arrangement of our various awards.
The last evening found the whole WIMA family at the banquet. The Barbour suits were replaced by miniskirts, and the WIMA comedians teased each other and kept us all laughing far into the night.
